Movies like When the Waves Are Gone (2023)
The best movies like When the Waves Are Gone (2023) are The House on Carroll Street (1988), The Good Neighbor (2022) and The Operative (2019). If When the Waves Are Gone hooked you with its drama and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAbove the Rim (1994)7.1/10 from 251 votes
- Newest180 (2026)Released 2026
The House on Carroll Street (1988)
A reporter, fired after refusing to give names to a 1951 House Un-American Activities Committee, takes a part-time job as companion to an old lady. While working she overhears a noisy argument in the neighboring house, being conducted largely in German and involving her HUAC prosecutor. She begins to investigate, enlisting the help of the FBI Agent initially detailed to surveil her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Neighbor (2022)
A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Operative (2019)
A young Western woman is recruited by the Mossad to go undercover in Tehran where she becomes entangled in a complex triangle with her handler and her subject.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisRogue Agent (2022)
Conman Robert Freegard poses as an undercover MI5 agent and kidnaps countless victims amidst a high-stakes manhunt, until the woman who fell for him brings him to justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lords of Discipline (1983)
Will arrives for his last year at Military Academy, in the Deep South USA, in the 1960's. A black student, Pearce, has been accepted, for the first time and Will is asked to keep an eye out for the inevitable racism. The racists come in the form of The Ten, a secret group of the elite students. They want Pearce to leave on his own free will, but are prepared to torture him to make it 'his free will'. Will is forced to help Pearce and he is prepared to risk his own career to do so.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Truth About Emanuel (2013)
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Quiller Memorandum (1966)
After two British Secret Intelligence Service agents are murdered at the hands of a cryptic neo-Nazi group known as Phoenix, the suave agent Quiller is sent to Berlin to investigate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisLight It Up (1999)
On a winter day in a southside Queens high school, events collide and six students are suddenly in an armed standoff with the NYPD. At the school, classrooms freeze, teachers come and go, resources are scant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017)
An adrenaline seeking snowboarder gets lost in a massive winter storm in the back country of the High Sierras where he is pushed to the limits of human endurance and forced to battle his own personal demons as he fights for survival....
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
SnoozefestMovies like this180 (2026)
When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Dry White Season (1989)
During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Devil You Know (2022)
Once-incarcerated Marcus Cowans is trying to turn over a new leaf with the support of his loving family. Upon discovering that one of his brothers may have been involved in a horrific crime, Marcus grapples with the limits of brotherhood and loyalty. He and his family, increasingly weary of the justice system’s failings, end up in the crosshairs of a seasoned but jaded detective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Caveman's Valentine (2001)
Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisLittle Boy Blue (1998)
Living in rural Texas is a dysfunctional family: an abusive dad, a Vietnam vet with a war wound that's left him impotent; a compliant wife and a son of about 20, two small sons who look a lot like their brother. The dad harbors a secret, and he goes to murderous lengths to keep it hidden. The young man, Jimmy, who has suspicions, but little comes out until a Yankee woman comes to town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbove the Rim (1994)
Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNot Without Hope (2025)
A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSAS: Red Notice (2021)
An off-duty SAS soldier, Tom Buckingham, must thwart a terror attack on a train running through the Channel Tunnel. As the action escalates on the train, events transpire in the corridors of power that may make the difference as to whether Buckingham and the civilian passengers make it out of the tunnel alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe 355 (2022)
A group of top female agents from American, British, Chinese, Colombian, and German government agencies are drawn together to try and stop an organization from acquiring a deadly weapon to send the world into chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe System (2022)
When a young soldier, newly returned from war, gets caught up in a drug bust, he is recruited by the authorities to go undercover in a notoriously dangerous prison in order to figure out what is really going on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChief of Station (2024)
After learning that the death of his wife was not an accident, a former CIA Station Chief is forced back into the espionage underworld, teaming up with an adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he thought he knew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDiary ng Panget (2014)
A young woman takes a job as a personal maid for a rich young man. The pair do not get along, but soon due to their classmates' games of love, their relationship grows more complicated than before.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAng Pirata (2013)
A story of greedy businessman on how they make their own money.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Paraiso: Three Stories of Hope (2007)
Three uplifting stories of faith, compassion and courage provide the framework for this inspirational film. First, Jocelyn, a victim of the mudslides in Leyte, finds strength in the face of tragedy; next, a family's adoption of a neglected young boy brings healing; and in the final chapter, widower Rudy Abad decides to build a village in the Philippines in memory of his wife, who died in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Flames Of Love (2012)
A multi-plot story that tackles the pressing issues surrounding the modern-day family – drug addiction, infidelity, promiscuity and even abortion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Father Jejemon (2010)
Father Jeremiah Jerome Montes has been asked by his old friend Father Baby to help him run the parish of Parmbil. Father Jejemon, as he’s known, has a knack for connecting with the young people of the community. But as soon as he gets there, he only encounters resistance. Father Baby’s sister Violetta doesn’t seem too keen on Father Jejemon running things. Worse yet, the ruthless businessman who owns the town has his sights on demolishing the Church in order to make way for a golf course. But Father Jejemon soldiers on, helping people out and showing them a new way to do things.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Yesterday's Promise (1994)
Three strong-willed sisters face tough choices.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Love Story (2007)
Ian Montes is a picture of success. Despite being a son of a shipping tycoon, Ian refused to just ride in his father's empire. He built his own real estate company and earned his first million at a very young age. He never looked back since then. Driven by his ambition to become better, if not as good as his father, Ian managed to make it on his own. But behind all the glory is a man yearning for love and recognition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Back to Bataan (1945)
A U.S. Army colonel leads local fighters in a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese in the Philippines.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisManila Death Squad (2017)
An ambitious journalist challenges the leader of a violent vigilante group to a high-stakes drinking game that may score her a scoop or a bullet to the head.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sanglaan (2009)
Follows the lives of four different people, each linked to the other by the house of business. Olivia, owner of the establishment, yearns for her late husband and denies the onset of old age. She lives with her appraiser Amy, a romantic who is doing almost everything for love. Kanor serves as the pawnshop security guard. He holds Olivia in high esteem for letting him and his wife stay in the apartment above the shop. Kanor opens his house to boarder David, a seaman in transit.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like When the Waves Are Gone?
The closest matches to When the Waves Are Gone are The House on Carroll Street (1988), The Good Neighbor (2022) and The Operative (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after When the Waves Are Gone?
Start with The House on Carroll Street (1988), the closest match to When the Waves Are Gone.
What is the highest-rated movie like When the Waves Are Gone?
Above the Rim (1994), rated 7.1/10 by 251 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like When the Waves Are Gone?
180 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to When the Waves Are Gone chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside When the Waves Are Gone, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.